Broken Inside
by stakeh
Summary: Something told him to stay, even though the others had left. Something told him to search, even though it hurt to find. It rained that day they stumbled upon each other. SasuGaa


**Broken Inside**

_whiteviper111 _

The rain, cold and chilling, rolled down his cheeks. It was getting dark, he knew, but something told him to wait…watch…hide… This boy, blanketed in shadow, was Uchiha Sasuke. Avenger of his clan. Very talented leaf-nin, too. Earlier he had sent Naruto and Sakura back to the Konoha. He was alone, vulnerable, and a little cold. Shivering, actually.

But he had to stand it… Something was whispering to him, like the wind that whistled by, to stay. A kunai was held tightly in his hand, and another in his bag for convenience.

What if it was Itachi? Maybe he could get revenge, finally. His brother, who slaughtered the Uchiha clan. Maybe it wasn't an enemy… No, it had to be. He could feel it, like ice running through his veins.

Well, Sasuke was sure it was an enemy, but not so sure whether it posed a threat. Then he heard something. Not a twig underfoot, or a shadow misplaced, but something else, something different. A _cry. _It wasn't calling for anyone, and it wasn't yelling for anyone to leave. It was just…_crying. _

Raw emotion. Sadness, loneliness, pain, all in one. Sasuke stood frozen for several more moments, then inched forward. His face was void of any emotion, and his eyes hard from lack of showing it. Sidestepping any kind of branch underneath his feet, incase it gave him away, Sasuke move closer and closer toward the sound.

A few minutes of stealthy searching, and the ninja stumbled upon something that ripped his heart out. Suddenly, the rain began pounding even harder. The wind picked up, causing him to nearly shiver audibly. And yet, nothing drew his eyes way from the boy in front of him.

It was…it was Gaara… He had his knees drawn closely to his chest, and the sand itself lay unsettled at his feet. His face was not visible, and both of his pale hands were clutching his skull…as though it hurt. If he was correct, Gaara was the one crying.

Sasuke had to scan the area; he couldn't believe the sight before him. He couldn't believe Gaara could ever show this much emotion. But deep down, he knew that Gaara was hurting inside. He saw it in the boy's eyes every time their path's crossed. Murderous rage trying to cover the sadness. But Sasuke knew…

He stepped into the clearing, wincing as a twig broke, and Gaara's head snapped up. There were tears staining his cheeks, he noted. Immediately the twisting sand took to defense, but Sasuke only let his arms hang at his sides. There was no way he could fight Gaara after seeing and realizing the truth. The sand struck him in the arm, though he couldn't help but notice it was weighed down significantly from the rain, and Sasuke closed his eyes tightly as the blood dripped at a steady pace.

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

Pain ran in stitches up his arm, but the Uchiha expertly ignored it. Gaara, shocked that he was putting up no effort, narrowed his eyes with suspicion.

"Why is it you do not fight, Sasuke?"

He stayed silent for a moment, then whispered, "I can't fight you…" His eyes were still shut.

It seemed the sand ninja didn't like the answer, for he struck Sasuke again, this time a slash across the cheek. The blood continued to drip. "And why not?"

Sasuke couldn't possibly answer the question. He just knew. That was it. There were no words for what he was feeling. A growl sprang from Gaara. "Answer me, Uchiha!" Another hit, another pain.

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

_Drip…_

Gaara was crying again. Why, neither knew. Only that the tears fell freely. Sasuke held his ground. Now, Gaara's heart was tearing itself apart. From this morning, the pain had just gotten worse and worse. Every stare he received, whether it be of fear or hate, struck something inside of him. Every crowd that parted to gain distance, whether from fright or loathe, made him cringe.

Why does everyone hate me? Even Temari and Kankuro were a bit hesitant, though I was sure I had said sorry…

The red-haired boy kept his head turned now, so he wouldn't have to stare straight into Sasuke's dark eyes. The sand, meanwhile, had gotten so soaked that it could barely lift from the ground. The rain was relentless, and didn't show any signs of stopping.

Sasuke, for once in all the times he had ever seen Gaara fight, had found his weakness. Rain stopped the sand; though you can't just make it rain at will, so it wasn't completely full proof. But right now, Sasuke didn't have any drive in him to fight Gaara. He just wanted…to see him stop crying. To see him happy, and to see him smile, for once. Even if only once. But before he could say anything, Gaara spoke again, "You've found a way to finally kill me. Go ahead, I won't stop you." _Please, get rid of the pain…_he thought, though didn't say anymore.

Suddenly, the younger Uchiha felt mad. Why did Gaara want to die? It wasn't as if he would get his wish though, Sasuke couldn't kill him. Hell, he couldn't even put up a good fight. "Gaara…why do you want to throw away your life so…badly?"

The redhead made an amused sound. "What, fox-boy didn't tell you?" He asked mockingly.

What was he talking about? Naruto…tell him what? Gaara could see his confusion, somehow, and went ahead speaking.

"My life is screwed up, to put it simply. My mother died when I was born, so it was always my fault. All my fault she died and left my father alone. For the first six years of my life, I was treated like royalty. Like the strongest and greatest gift ever to be brought to the Sand. But then…I became a threat," his voice got softer, "and my father made relentless efforts to…destroy me. To kill me." He paused, seeing the look of horror in Sasuke's face. "Oh, but there's more.

"As you know, I sometimes cannot control what the sand does, and it protects me automatically. Such a time was this, and I ended up…murdering my own father. It hurt me, but I finally realized something. I live only to love myself," he smirked slightly, and Sasuke's eyes darted to the tattoo on his forehead, then back to his eyes, "and fight for only my sake.

"So I pretty much thought the world didn't care, and that no one would be affected if I—" Sasuke couldn't take anymore of this, and threw the kunai at Gaara, though it landed several inches from his head and hit a tree. Perhaps on purpose.

There was silence, then, "Enough," Sasuke muttered. Suddenly, he grinned and said, "My aim sucks," motioning to the kunai. Gaara, despite his earlier confession, couldn't help but smile a bit.

Sasuke stepped forward, and the sand put up a measly attempt to block him. Reaching up, he set his hands on Gaara's shoulders. The boy looked at him, shocked. Never had he ever been touched before. The sand had always been there. "Don't ever say you want to die to me again." And then Sasuke did something that even confused himself. He bent forward, and kissed the tattoo on Gaara's forehead.

After a few seconds, the two stared at each other, relishing the silence. Gaara was blushing, something he had never known he could do before, and so was Sasuke. Both their cheeks were red, and both were embarrassed.

Sasuke pulled away, muttering "sorry" and tried to put a few feet between them. Gaara suddenly grasped the other's wrist, keeping him were he stood. "Wha—" He was cut off as Gaara leaned up bravely, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss.

Now they broke apart for air. Gaara's face was the color of his hair, and Sasuke's face was the color…of Sakura's hair… Then he grinned widely, and brought Gaara into his arms, holding him closely.

The rain had slowed, somewhat, but the sand still could do nothing to part the two. Sasuke, being a little bit taller then Gaara, rested his head against his red hair.

The constant murderous thoughts about his brother that Sasuke always had running through his mind had ceased for once. The sadness that had always clung onto Gaara's heart suddenly dissipated. They both would have stayed there forever, if life were that long. But time eventually ripped them from each other's arms, and they went on their ways, both murmuring a promise; _"I'll never let you be broken inside ever again." _


End file.
